This invention relates to aircraft passenger seats, and more specifically to an aircraft passenger seat back tray table and literature pocket. Many aircraft passenger seats have literature pockets that are positioned below the tray table. Typically, these pockets extend across the width of the seat back and are spring-loaded so that the pocket can be pulled open by a passenger seated aft of the seat back, literature inserted or removed and then released to allow the pocket to spring closed. These pockets are sometimes hard to reach, particularly when the seat back is reclined.
More recently, some seats are provided with literature pockets that are positioned just below the headrest. A lateral retention bar extends from one side of the seat back to the other side, behind which is provided a space sufficient to hold magazines, flight information cards, newspapers, etc. The tray table that serves the aft-seated passenger is mounted on or adjacent the seat back and is movable as needed between a stowed position with the tray table locked against the seat back and the top edge of the tray table resting just under the lateral bar, and a deployed position with the tray table lowered into a use position. These literature pockets are easier for both passengers and cleaning crews to access in addition to requiring less, weight-increasing material.
A vertical retention bar extends from a position near the lateral bar to a position near the bottom edge of the tray table when in the stowed position and cooperates with the lateral bar to retain the contents of the literature pocket in the pocket when the tray table is deployed for use. When the tray table is in the stowed position, the tray table itself further acts to retain the contents of the literature in the pocket.
Present aircraft cabins utilize overhead lights to provide lighting to passengers. These lights are typically incandescent halogen lights, which generate significant heat, require large amounts of energy and are prone to burnout, requiring replacement. These lights are typically mounted in an overhead console along with attendant call buttons and an oxygen container cover and are controlled either by a button next to the light or on an armrest. Lighting either to replace the overhead lights or to supplement overhead lighting would provide a benefit to the passengers, particularly if structures already in use for other purposes can be adapted to provide this lighting. In contrast to incandescent halogen lights, light emitting diode lighting elements generate far less heat, consume less electricity and have an extremely long service life. Light-emitting diode lighting elements typically do not “burnout” towards the end of their service life, but merely gradually change color temperature.